Pearl S. Buck Elementary

"Pearls of Wisdom" May 13, 2016

Pearl S. Buck Elementary

"Pearls of Wisdom" May 13, 2016

Career Connections

Our first Career Connections Day is scheduled for Thursday June 2, at 9:30 a.m. We would like to give our 4th-grade students the opportunity to hear about possible career choices and learn how education is connected to a successful future. We’re looking for energetic presenters from a broad range of careers. Each presenter will give three, 20-minute presentations. If you are interested in presenting, please contact our counselor, Mr. Crozier at rcrozier@neshaminy.k12.pa.us.

Concert Time!

Our evening Music Concert will occur on Thursday, May 19th.

The concert begins at 7:30, and will be held at Maple Point Middle School.

Mrs. Sutin has been out for health reasons and will not be able to attend the concert. We would like to thank Mr. Barber, music teacher at Lower South Elementary, for filling in for Mrs. Sutin. We'd also like to thank and congratulate our choir students for being flexible and very cooperative while they worked with several different directors during recent rehearsals.

4th Grade Move-Up Information

If you have a child in 4th grade, they will be participating in the annual Move-Up ceremony. Here is some information to help you plan for the day.

The ceremony will begin at 9:30. Parents and guardians will be permitted to enter the building at approximately 9:15 AM.

Parking is very limited. Please consider carpooling and plan to park within the surrounding neighborhood.

Tickets will be limited to 3 per family. This is due to very limited space.

Attire: In order to create a semi-formal atmosphere for the ceremony, we request your cooperation with student attire. Boys are asked to wear collared shirts, dress slacks and shoes. Ties and jackets are optional. Girls are asked to wear a dress, or a blouse with a skirt or slacks. Please keep neck and hemlines conservative and avoid strapless dresses. We ask students not wear sneakers, clogs or flip-flops, or other footwear that can easily slip off of the foot or that has thin/flimsy soles. Leather sandals with a firm sole and heel-strap are acceptable. Students should arrive at school dressed in their attire for the ceremony. Attire will be discussed during our upcoming rehearsals.

After the Move-Up event (approximately 10:30), the PTO will be hosting a breakfast for our 4th grade students and parents/guardians, after which parents/guardians may choose to sign-out their 4th grade child for the day.

In addition, the 4th grade students will enjoy special events on Wednesday, June 15th and Friday, June 17th. More information to follow. Please also be on the lookout for PTO emails regarding end of year events.

Last Days of School

The last three days of school will be early dismissal days. Students will be dismissed beginning at 1:00 PM.

Lunches will occur before recess, starting earlier than normal. Here are the start times for lunches on the last three days:

Kindergarten -11:10

1st and 2nd - 11:50

3rd and 4th - 12:25

Also, assuming the sun and warm weather will return before the end of school, please consider having your child apply sunscreen in the morning, and bring a hat and water bottle for recess.

Calendar Math

Last week, students in Mr. Knight's class were engaged in a task with the objective to create a calendar for May where each day must change one attribute from the day before. Students had to choose four distinct colors for their pieces, with each color to have 8 pieces (4 large and 4 small each of a rhombus, triangle, square, and circle). Then, students had to change one attribute per day. Once the activity was done, students were given this writing assignment: Keeping the above list in mind, in what ways was your group successful? Support your successes with examples. Keeping in mind the list above, what could your group have done better? What would have made that happen?

The students worked diligently, catching irregularities in their designs as they problem solved effective solutions. Below is a photo of some of their work.

Pearl Buck and Oliver Heckman Schools to Merge

A lot of work is under way to help ease the transition of nearly 190 new students from Oliver Heckman to Pearl Buck for the 2016-2017 school year. The PTO leadership from both buildings has met to discuss transitional needs for the PTO organizations. The principals of both schools and their respective PTO presidents will be meeting to further discuss transitional needs. Heckman students attending Pearl Buck in the fall will be invited to visit during recess and lunches in early June for a simple meet and greet picnic-style event.

More information related to the transition will be forthcoming. In the meantime, please do your best to avoid succumbing to negative rumors. The combining of schools will have its bumps, but it will be exciting and successful.

Countdown by the letters

Did you notice any dogs, cats, or orangutans around Buck on Thursday? It was the start of the annual ABC Countdown in Third Grade: Bring in your favorite stuffed Animal. The countdown is a fun way to celebrate the last weeks of school. Some of the highlights of the days ahead are bring in a favorite board game for G and tell funny jokes for LOL day. Some teachers are looking forward to June 6 – Q -> Quiet all day long!

1st Day School Supplies

Pearl Buck Elementary has partnered with 1st day School Supplies to provide parents with the convenience of ordering school supplies online and having them shipped directly to Pearl Buck for the start of the 2016-2017 school year.

Supply kits are filled with items common to homerooms in each grade level. You do not need to know your child's 2016-2017 teacher. If you order, your child will have his or her supplies waiting within their classroom on the first day of school. You may begin to place your orders now. All orders are due by June 30, 2016.

This is not a fundraiser, and participation is OPTIONAL. More information will be headed your way over the next month.

Kindergartners get Zoo-ey!

The Philadelphia Zoo came to visit our kindergarten classes last week! We learned about Mammals, Birds, and Reptiles! We learned that Mammals are warm- blooded, have fur or hair, and have live babies. Then we got to meet two different Mammals. We saw a Bunny and a Hedgehog. After that, we learned that Birds have feathers, beaks, and lay eggs. Then we got to meet a duck which is a kind of Bird! Lastly, we learned that Reptiles are cold-blooded and shed their skin. We even got to see a real live snake! The coolest part of our presentation was getting to see and feel a tiger skin and getting to take turns holding a skin shed from an Anaconda!! We are so thankful the zoo could travel to us for our field trip experience! We had so much fun!

Did you know....?

A 1,200-pound horse eats about seven times it's own weight each year.

A bird requires more food in proportion to its size than a baby or a cat.

A chameleon can move its eyes in two directions at the same time.

A chameleon's tongue is twice the length of its body.

A chimpanzee can learn to recognize itself in a mirror, but monkeys can't.